Greg Noack distinctly remembers the two losses to Freedom High School last season.

The Liberty High School senior forward made certain the Hurricanes wouldn't drop a third consecutive game to their rival.

Noack scored 16 points and unbeaten Liberty held off a fourth-quarter rally to post a 64-52 Lehigh Valley Conference victory before a large and boisterous crowd tonight in Memorial Gym.

During halftime both student bodies -- Liberty's "Category 6" and Freedom's "Riot Squad" -- swarmed the floor and paid tribute to the victims killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14. A representative from each student section gave a brief speech.

Once the ball was tossed up, it was all business with the energetic crowd supporting their respective team every step of the way.

"It's amazing to play in an environment like this," said Noack, a Monmouth University recruit. "It's really hard not to get pumped up for this game. We played our hearts out. We played as hard as we could. We always have to give it our all against Freedom."

"I love the makeup of our team from a basketball standpoint," Liberty coach Chad Landis said. "K.J. was terrific off the bench. As far as our decision-making, last year we weren't getting it. This year we're getting it as far as where the ball needs to go."

Freedom (4-2, 1-2), which trailed most of the way, fell behind 41-26 midway into the third quarter but crept within 52-47 on David Williams' 3-pointer with 4:13 left in the game. Liberty proceeded to score the next 12 points, including 10 from the foul line, to put it away.

"Coach Landis stops us to shoot foul shots three or four times every practice," Noack said. "We work on them for about eight minutes. We really strive to do well on the line."

Freedom actually had one more field goal than Liberty (19-18), but the Hurricanes made 23 of 29 free throws compared to 7 of 12 for the Patriots.

"Getting in foul trouble hurt us because we're not as deep as they are," Patriots coach Joe Stellato said. "They're better than us right now. They're playing very good basketball. We just have to get better."

Jackson led Freedom with 16 points and junior guard Nigel Long added 12. Chiclana, the Patriots' leading scorer at 16.8 points per game, was held to six on 3-for-14 shooting.